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Kitchen Conundrums – Merci DARTY!!

Sometimes I think that I’m just not meant to cook! I mean, for months my induction hob had slowly been passing away and at the end I only had one measly ring left working on it, so cooking anything that required two pans (or more!) instantly became a logistical nightmare.

At the beginning of February I had hoped that all that would change when Hubby and I agreed to buy a new one. We had hoped to get the old one repaired, but when we discovered how excessively expensive it was to get it repaired and that the reparations were only guaranteed 3 months (yes, just three months for brand new pieces – that just goes to show how much confidence the manufacturer has in them!) we decided it was just better to buy new!

So after weeks of waiting last Friday, my brand new shiny black induction hob was delivered. Only, it wasn’t any good. After all are careful measuring we had managed to order the wrong size. Disaster! Yet more juggling with the pans in the kitchen!

Not wishing to have to wait another month for a new one to arrive, we made the decision to order at trustworthy Darty. We could get their guarantee extension and be delivered on Monday. Youpee!! Hubby managed to negotiate the price down to a reasonable level and we ordered knowing that we were putting our money with a trustworthy company.

So, Monday came and the guys from Darty delivered and installed the new hob. Fantastic until I saw how clumsy they were. Imagine two great big hulks that look like they’re stood on a ball (a bit like a bowling alley pin) rather than standing on two legs. They managed to break a Champagne glass within the first five minutes, and oh, yes, they also managed to break my Dietrich fitted microwave. They literally pulled the door off thinking that they could remove it from its unit by pulling the door really really hard!

Darty being Darty, they immediately arranged for someone to come round and repair the microwave. They came yesterday but quickly admitted defeat when they saw the level of damage their colleagues had caused. They needed to order a new door – which takes a minimum of a week to arrive! So, now I can’t use my microwave and all the extra portions I’d cooked on Sunday for Tuesday evening have had to go to waste as I can’t heat them up!

Given that I didn’t have anything else we could eat as everything needed to be re-heated thank goodness for Plats du Monde, a restaurant delivery service! We were able to order good Mexican food from them yesterday and be delivered within the evening without it costing a fortune and still being able to eat reasonably healthy at the same time (unlike most takeaway food). The food comes from the actual restaurant and is from their restaurant menu so you’re getting the same as if you actually went there which is good. It was really great and very very tasty even if one of the Burritos was a bit too hot for me! Next time we’re going to try Indian!

Mexican Restaurant Lyon - El Sombrero

So, the microwave is out of action for the foreseeable future and I’ve just wasted a load of food which I’d cooked on Sunday so my kitchen conundrums are still not over!

Being British I think I’m going to write a letter of complaint and see if I can get some cash out of Darty – I mean, because of them I’ve been deeply inconvenienced and had to order food in from a restaurant!

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13 Responses

This is me, reading this:
1. “induction hob.” Boo!
2. “my brand new shiny black induction hob was delivered.” Yay!
3. “we had managed to order the wrong size.” Boo!
4. “trustworthy Darty. We could get their guarantee extension and be delivered on Monday.” Yay!
5. “the guys from Darty delivered and installed the new hob. ” Yay!
6. “They managed to break a Champagne glass within the first five minutes, and oh, yes, they also managed to break my Dietrich fitted microwave. They literally pulled the door off thinking that they could remove it from its unit by pulling the door really really hard!” Accck!! But I laughed at their total idiocy. Boo!!!
7. “Darty being Darty, they immediately arranged for someone to come round and repair the microwave. ” Yay!
8. “They needed to order a new door – which takes a minimum of a week to arrive! ” Boo!
9. “all the extra portions I’d cooked on Sunday for Tuesday evening have had to go to waste as I can’t heat them up!” Boo!

And for this, “thank goodness for Plats du Monde, a restaurant delivery service! We were able to order good Mexican food from them yesterday and be delivered within the evening without it costing a fortune and still being able to eat reasonably healthy at the same time (unlike most takeaway food). ” WOW. That is impressive. MEXICAN FOOD!! Yay!! OMG, I would about kill to eat some good Mexican…

But, then there was this… “so my kitchen conundrums are still not over!” Boo.

*sigh*

Yeah, sounds like a This Is France experience. I am so sorry. That sucks that those oafs broke all that stuff!

Okay, and me being an American, an “induction hub” is like part of a stove… or oven? Right?? LOL.

Your reactions pretty much match my reactions to this whole saga except the air was blue at some points with swear words (they do sound better in French don’t they?)!

Funny that you don’t say hob in American, we don’t say stove really so its not funny I suppose, just a difference in language like French and Canadian I guess… An induction hob is like a stove (I think) that conducts heat to metal (I think) and heats up very quickly as opposed to gaz and normal electric. Have a look here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooker

I learned a new expression today.🙂 This sounds kind of Freudian, too: “Maybe you are secretly wanting to eat Mexican’s”

Heh heh. Okay enough of that! *cleans up act for this nice blog*

Yes, we would say an “induction stove” for that piece of equipment in American Eng. I think there is another expression for it, too in the cooking appliance world of vocabulary, but I can’t recall what it is. Ceramic glass flat top stove, or something?

how wonderful you don’t have to cook…. I cook at least twice a day because everybody here has different tastes and eats only fresh food and …. ah, I envy you so much right now ( I know damn well that in less than 1 hour either my son or my husband will come to me saying” I’m hungry!”) :))))

Ironically I look cooking but I’m sure the novelty would soon wear off if I HAD to cook twice a day🙂 I

Do men in Romania not cook? That quite a sexist thing to say? I’ve noticed men in France don’t cook very much (especially if my family in law are anything to go by!). Thankfully my husband can cook but he doesn’t do it enough for my liking!

I’m back cooking now, I’ve been shopping and the fridge is full! My microwave is still not repaired so I’m being careful to ensure there are no leftovers…

Hi Sarah, thanks for stopping by and for the tip on reheating. How do you steam reheat?

No, I didn’t see the Envoyé Special as I’m really naughty and don’t watch French TV… but I’ve read your post which is really enlightening so thanks for the link – everyone else should read it as well so not to be duped by the sales people!! I’m surprised that practises like that can exist in France what with all their red tape and that. Disgusting! Thankfully my mind is at ease though as I specifically knew what I was looking to purchase when I bought from Darty!